1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golfing accessories, and particularly to a club head cleaning attachment for a golf shoe that enables a golfer to clean the face of a golf club without changing his or her stance.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the game of golf, contact of the club head with the underlying surface occurs more often than not. This is especially true with iron shots after the initial tee shot, but may even occur with some tee shots as well. Accordingly, the club head picks up soil, sand, grass, mud, etc., particularly when used to hit a ball resting directly upon the underlying surface.
Most golfers recognize that such contamination or residue remaining on a club head, and particularly on the face of the club as it contacts the ball, will have at least some adverse effect on the path or flight of the ball. Oftentimes the grooves in the club face will become filled with grass, dirt or mud, thus limiting the ability of the grooves to engage the surface of the ball at impact the next time the club is used. This can negatively affect the spin imparted to the ball, thereby affecting its flight path.
An example occurs when a “short” club is used with the intent to impart backspin to the ball to shorten its roll after landing. If the club face is contaminated with grass, moisture, and/or other debris from a previous shot, the ball will slip against the club face as the face impacts the ball, with the club failing to impart the desired backspin to the ball. The result is that the ball instead rolls well past its intended stopping point due to the lack of backspin. This can make a very large difference in the total distance traveled by the ball, particularly when a relatively short flight is intended by the use of a high loft club. Considerable variation in the lateral flight of the ball may also occur when a club with a contaminated face is used to strike the ball.
Accordingly, nearly all golfers will carry some means for cleaning at least the faces of the heads of their golf clubs during a round of golf. While many specialized devices have been made for cleaning the faces and heads of golf clubs, most are adapted to remain with the golf bag or perhaps on the golf cart during a round of play. This clearly results in additional time and effort expended by the golfer as he or she walks back and forth between the lie of the ball and the location of his or her golf bag or cart. While golf is intended to provide mild exercise and the additional walking may be of no great consequence, the additional time expended can slow the play of the game to some degree. This can be critical when another party is approaching or when playing time is limited for whatever reason.
As a result, many golfers will carry a towel or other cleaning device with them as they play. This does reduce or eliminate the delay factor that occurs when the club head cleaning device is located away from the lie of the ball in play. However, while some such devices are relatively unobtrusive, others (e.g., relatively large towels, devices suspended from the belt or other article of clothing, etc.) may create a distraction to the golfer and impede his or her play. In such instances, the solution may be worse than the problem.
Thus, a club head cleaning attachment for a golf shoe solving the aforementioned problems is desired.